Pomegranate, Pear & Rucola Salad with Honey-Ginger Dressing

白い皿に盛ったルッコラに、薄切りの洋梨とりんご、ざくろ、ペカンナッツ、白いチーズを散らしたサラダ。

Pomegranate, Pear & Rucola Salad with Honey-Ginger Dressing

This is a crisp, juicy salad built around peppery Rucola, ripe pear and apple, tart pomegranate, toasted pecans and creamy goat cheese. Each bite moves between fresh fruit, crunchy nuts, soft cheese and slightly bitter greens.

The dressing brings everything together. Extra virgin olive oil gives the vinaigrette body, carries the fresh ginger aroma and softens the sharpness of apple cider vinegar and Dijon so it coats the fruit and leaves evenly. Honey rounds out the acidity with gentle sweetness, while the ginger keeps the dressing fresh and lively. We keep the honey restrained so the salad stays savory rather than sweet.

Serve this as a generous side for two. To make it a complete meal, add grilled chicken, salmon or white beans.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

For the salad

25 g raw pecans
60 g Rucola
30 g goat cheese, crumbled
90 g ripe pear, thinly sliced
90 g crisp apple, thinly sliced
60 g pomegranate arils

For the honey-ginger dressing

30 ml extra virgin olive oil
12 ml apple cider vinegar
10 g Dijon mustard
8 g honey
3 g fresh ginger, finely grated
1 g fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Toast the pecans

Place the pecans in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until fragrant. Let them cool, then roughly chop.

2. Make the dressing

Whisk the extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, ginger, salt and black pepper until smooth and lightly emulsified.

3. Assemble the salad

Arrange the Rucola with the pear, apple and pomegranate. Scatter over the goat cheese and toasted pecans.

4. Dress and serve

Pour the honey-ginger dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently so the EVOO-based dressing lightly coats the greens and fruit without weighing them down. Serve immediately.